1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally concerns carrying cases for portable electronic devices including devices in the nature of personal digital assistants, cellular telephones, personal computers and the like.
The present invention particularly concerns carrying cases accommodating electronic devices of differing sizes and/or types by removably affixing a device to the interior of the case.
The present invention still more particularly concerns carrying cases removably affixing any one of a number of differently-sized electronic devices, most typically a personal digital assistant (PDA), within the interior of the case by action of a spring clip.
2. Description of the Prior Art
2.1 The Limitations of Custom Cases
Carrying cases for portable electronic devices such as personal digital assistants, cellular telephones, personal computers and the like have traditionally been contoured and sized to the individual device held. Whereas this approach has made sense in times past when the electronic device was very, very much more expensive than its tailored casexe2x80x94typically on the order of ten or more timesxe2x80x94while the lifetime of the electronic device and its case were roughly commensurate, this approach makes less sense when persons in the advanced industrial countries are coming to own many, and rapidly substitutablexe2x80x94even disposablexe2x80x94low cost electronic devices while fine carrying cases for these devices, especially as are hand crafted of leather and like luxury materials, retain historical price levels.
A case that is tailored to an individual electronic device as offered by the electronics manufacturer of the device seldom has the style and quality of an equivalent case sold in the aftermarket, and thus necessarily succeeding on its own competitive merits. However, after-market device cases suffer from poor economies of scale, with some cases being useful for only limited numbers of limited types and models of devices, and with dilution of the potential purchaser base occurring because (i) many persons by the case of the original equipment manufacturer, and/or (ii) a carrying case may be bundled with the electronic device.
Although consumers may not much regard this situation, they receive poor value. It is as if a suitcase was to be procured from a clothing manufacturerxe2x80x94an idea that strikes most people as absurd, being that clothing manufacturers generally have no great reputation, nor expertise, in luggage. A consumer is also disadvantaged in that a custom case for an electronic equipment may not be worn out, and, indeed, may have but slight or even no appreciable wear, at the time that the contained electronic equipment is replaced, often from obsolescence (not affecting the case).
According to all these reasons, if a single case could be made ubiquitousxe2x80x94while still suitablexe2x80x94for a broader range of electronic equipments, especially as may be of slightly varying size and/or contour, then the consumer might be offered (i) greater selection, (ii) better value, and (iii) greater usable life, in the carrying cases for the electronic equipments.
2.2 Previous Approaches to Universal Cases Chief among the problems of using one, slightly oversize, case for a range of like, and like sized, electronic equipments is the practical necessity of keeping the electronic equipment from movingxe2x80x94rattling, if the case material is hardxe2x80x94around inside the case. The simple, and classical solution has been tie down straps. However, (i) these straps are unsightly and ungainly, (ii) they may and commonly do interfere with manual access to the user control area (e/g/. the keyboard) and/or visual access to any display, and (iii) they may impede easy removal of the electronic device from its case. These limitations have proven especially acute for electronic devices in the form of personal digital assistants (PDAs), which routine have to the fore of the device, and upon its front panel, a very dense and compact user interface. This interface is desirably, almost necessarily, neither obscured not obstructed in any mannerxe2x80x94necessitating that a contained PDA be held (if at all) from its sides of back.
PDA Cases are available under brands Nite Ize, Impulse, Incipio, Landware, Marware, OP/TECH USA, RhinoSkin, Sumdex, Targus, Hartmann and Haliburton.
An example of the recent patenting of Victorinox AG (Ibach, CH) is U.S. Pat. No. 6,257,405 to Painsith for a CARD-SHAPED STORAGE CASE FOR ARTICLES OF DAILY USE AND/OR CONSUMER ARTICLES. The card-shaped storage case is made of metal or plastic with at least one internal storage compartment for at least one article, which storage compartment is defined by a base plate and, at least in sections, by a cover plate of the storage case running parallel to this. Several storage compartments at least partially separated from one another are arranged in the storage case in a plane running parallel to the base plate and/or cover plate. These are constructed to receive articles in the form of articles of daily use and/or consumer articles, and are also accessible from the outside via storage openings. These storage openings are arranged in at least one of the longitudinal side faces and/or transverse side faces, preferably there running perpendicular to the base plate and/or the cover plate.
Swiss Army mounts a variety of personal digital assistants in a patented xe2x80x9cPDA Clipxe2x80x9d system. An allegedly patented PDA clip safely secures the unit while providing for simple removal and insertion of the PDA. Three (3) clips are included, one each for the Palm Pilot 3, 5 and 7 units.
As well as the function of mounting a PDA, the Swiss Army system contains, as is common, paper currency in a full size bill pocket, business and credit cards in three card slots and two slash pockets in the wallet, an allegedly patented ID pull out tray for a drivers license that slides in and out easily, additional business and credit cards slots, an additional translucent window for pictures and other cards, a card case that can be removed and used as a casual xe2x80x9cweekend walletxe2x80x9d, a velcro tab also included for attachment of other PDA units.
The case is made of the leather, and measures 5xc2xcxe2x80x3 Hxc3x974xe2x80x3 Wxc3x971xc2xdxe2x80x3 D.
The present invention contemplates a carrying case having an internal, sliding-member, spring clip suitable to grasp and to hold diverse electronic devices particularly including, but not limited to, personal digital assistants (PDAs).
A case of the present invention is characterized in that it safely, securely, and flexibly accommodates diverse electronic devicesxe2x80x94typically as are hand held, and more typically being any of a large number of personal digital assistants (PDAs) present in the world market circa 2002xe2x80x94of differing sizes. An electronic device need only be simply and quickly xe2x80x9csnappedxe2x80x9d but one time into the sliding-member spring clip internal retaining feature of the case, and will thereafter be stably held when the case is both open and closed.
A case of the present invention is thus xe2x80x9cuniversalxe2x80x9d for diverse hand-held electronic devices, and (i) enjoys economies of scale in manufacture and distribution, while (ii) according good value to a consumer who may normally continue to use the case even should the particular electronic device contained within the case be replaced. The particular sliding-member spring clip affixation mechanism used is compact, strong, lightweight, durable, simple and reliable. The affixation mechanism does not obstruct full access to the front panel, nor any side surface communication ports and switches, of the electronic devicexe2x80x94normally a PDAxe2x80x94that it serves to releasibly mount. Neither does the affixation mechanism have (i) any separate part which must be affixed to the held electronic device (and which may thus suffer potentially becoming lost), nor (ii) any straps that may have ends which might xe2x80x9cflop aroundxe2x80x9d within the case and upon the contents of the case, potentially eroding aesthetics and/or becoming caught in the case zipper.
1. A carrying case for a portable electronic device
In one of its aspects the present invention is embodied in a carrying case for a portable electronic device.
The case includes (i) an enclosure defining within it interior a volume suitable to contain the portable electronic device, and (ii) an adjustable spring-loaded clip mechanism. The enclosure is substantially standard, and may be made out of fabric including canvas, leather, plastic, metals and like materials suitable to form cases.
The adjustable spring-loaded clip mechanism is original, and includes both (i) a central member affixed to the interior of the enclosure, and (ii) substantially symmetrical left and right members at least one, and preferably both of which, slides under spring forces relative to, and in distension from, both the central member and from the other. The left and right members so acting suitably receive between them, while momentarily forcibly separated, a portable electronic device. In accordance that the at least one, and preferably both, of the left and right members that slide may slide to greater or to lessor separation over a range of separations, the side members will fit between them an electronic devices having a dimension within this range. Then, at least one and preferably both of the left and the right members being permitted to slidingly retract, the left and right members will squeeze and to grasp the portable electronic device between them. The left and right side members will hold fast the portable electronic device to the central member, and thus to the enclosure, and thus also to the carrying case at its interior.
The case may in particular be suitable to contain a personal digital assistant (PDA), the adjustable spring-loaded clip mechanism then serving to squeeze and to grasp the PDA from side-to-side in a equivalent manner to which the personal digital assistant might otherwise be held by a human hand.
The volume defined by the enclosure is preferably sufficiently commodiousxe2x80x94about 7xe2x80x3 Hxc3x974xc2xdxe2x80x3 Wxc3x971xc2xdxe2x80x3 Dxe2x80x94and the range of distension of which the adjustable spring-loaded clip mechanism is capable is preferably sufficiently greatxe2x80x94most typically from about 2xc2xexe2x80x3 to about 3xc2xdxe2x80x3xe2x80x94so to permit a number of differently sized PDAsxe2x80x94substantially all such devices available circa 2002xe2x80x94to be at different times contained within the carrying case.
2. A personal digital assistant carrying case
In another of its aspects the present invention is embodied in a personal digital assistant (PDA) carrying case having (i) an enclosure defining a volume sufficient to contain each of a plurality of differently-sized substantially-rectilinear parallelipiped-bodied PDAs each having a greater width than thickness, where certain smaller ones of the PDAs are subject to undesirably move within the volume unless motionally constrained, and (ii) a spring clip, affixed to and at an interior of the enclosure at a position behind where each PDA is desirably held.
This spring clip has jaws that dimensionally extend and separate from each other so wide so as to receive between them an entire width of a substantially-rectilinear parallelipiped-bodied PDA. The jaws then contracting under spring force so as to hold squeezed between them, and motionally constrained to and within the enclosure, the PDA.
By this construction, and this coaction, nothing needs be permanently affixed to the PDA, which. is simply held across its width and not across its thickness by the squeezing jaws of the spring clip.
The spring clip is preferably realized as (i) a substantially planar central member affixed to the interior of the enclosure, and (ii) substantially planar substantially symmetrical left and right jaw members at least one, and preferably both of which, slide relative to the central member. These jaw members slide both towards and away from each other and from the central planar member. They are movable to a separation sufficient so as to admit the entire width of the substantially-rectilinear parallelipiped-bodied PDA between them.
Finally, the spring clip includes (iii) at least one spring forcibly urging at least one of the sliding jaw members to proximity with at least one of the central member and a remaining jaw member. The force of the spring thus acts to urge the jaws to draw together, squeezing the entire width of the substantially-rectilinear parallelipiped-bodied PDA between them.
The (iii) at least one spring preferably connects each of the sliding left and right jaw membersxe2x80x94each of which preferably slidesxe2x80x94directly to the other, completely spanning over an intervening region of the central member. By this connection, and this coaction, the sliding jaw members taken together, and also the PDA held by the sliding jaw members, are adjustable in their collective position relative to the central member (and to the enclosure to which the central member is affixed) over a modest distance both left and right. In other words, the held PDA may be modestly adjusted in left-right position within the enclosure. Although not quite xe2x80x9cself-centeringxe2x80x9d, this adjustability permits PDAs of varying sizes to be better xe2x80x9clined upxe2x80x9d and located within enclosure to user preferences.
Moreover, the (iii) at least one spring is preferably implemented as two parallel springs for reasons of increased spring force, wider operative range, and xe2x80x9cfail-safexe2x80x9d durability.
The spring clip""s substantially planar central member is most preferably economically formed as a substantially rectangular piece of sheet metal having at opposed side edges curled lips. These curled lips defining a channel in which each of the spring clip""s left and the right sliding jaw members is held, and does slide.
Likewise, each of the spring clip""s substantially planar substantially symmetrical left and right jaw members is preferably also constructed from a substantially rectangular piece of sheet metal, now bent substantially at a right angle of xe2x80x9cLxe2x80x9d cross section. In this form one planar leg of the xe2x80x9cLxe2x80x9d slides within the channel of the central member while the remaining planar leg of the xe2x80x9cLxe2x80x9d extends to engage a side surface of the PDA.
Still furthermore, the that planar leg of the xe2x80x9cLxe2x80x9d which extends to engage a side surface of the PDA is preferably bend inward at its terminus edge so as to better compressively engage and hold a side surface of the PDA.